Your ‘regulars’ are critically important to the health of your business. Unless you operate an airport bar or a tourist-focused establishment, the regular guests who visit week in and week out are the backbone of your business.

So, how are you “looking after them?” How are you making sure that they feel appreciated and valued?

Many bar and restaurant operators have not really given this question much thought. But your bartenders probably have. If you don’t have a policy to acknowledge your regulars, your bartenders are almost certainly trying to do that by giving your regular customers heavily over–poured drinks.

And the odds are that this is benefiting your bartenders more than it’s benefiting your business.

Of course we need to look after our regulars. But letting our bartenders over-pour is ineffective – and far too costly. Here’s why:

Over-pouring becomes the new normal

Once you allow the bartenders to over-pour when they think it is warranted, the inevitable result is that almost everyone will get an over-poured drink. Maybe at first over-pours will just be for the regulars; but then the bartender's friends will benefit too; then employees from other bars; anyone who throws a buck into their tip jar; and, eventually, over-pouring just becomes habitual and almost every drink is routintely over-poured

It is impossible to manage

There is no way to track or control which guests are getting “a little extra.” Without this most basic information, your management team won't be able to see what is and isn't beneficial for your business.

It is too expensive

Every industry study has discovered that the average bar is losing 25% of their alcohol to over-pouring and lost sales. The Glenfiddich example (above) fits this pattern. Our client had priced his drinks based on a 1-1/2 ounce portion but the bartender poured over 2 ounces, representing a 26.8% over-pour. This level of over-pouring has the exact same effect as giving away one drink for every four sold. And no owner or general manager would comp at that rate to anyone.

Your regulars don't appreciate it

After awhile, this generosity is taken for granted or simply goes unnoticed. And even when they do notice, your guests don’t value it very highly, thinking only about the cost of the extra liquor, not your labor costs, rent, overhead, taxes and other costs: "they can afford it - a bottle of Jack Daniels only costs $25 and they're only giving me an extra 1/2 ounce".

So letting your bartenders over-pour your regulars is a poor policy. What should a bar operator do to make sure the regulars are happy? More on this next week.

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Great Read … I loved it!

I had some comments about this too.

“And the odds are that this is benefiting your bartenders more than it’s benefiting your business.”

The bartenders aren’t benefiting that much either because when they give away drinks gratis they are losing actual sales which in turn decreases gratuities - well honest gratuities. Secondly, overpouring drinks a customer will reach an alcohol threshold quicker and thus not purchase as many full priced drinks which again reduces their gratuities. Lastly, overpouring drinks can develop dram shop liquor liability issues.

“After a while, this generosity is taken for granted or simply goes unnoticed.”

I really like this statement because it is so true. Giving somebody their first drink becomes the new normal to them and therefore it is taken for granted and if they ever are not given this "normal" gratis drink then they become disgruntled with the establishment. It's been over a decade since I owned a nightclub but what I did was tell our bartenders if they need to give a drink anyway give away something like a kamikaze shot with well liquor that cost less than a quarter. That way the guest feels like they still got the freebie drink but then ponies up for the five dollar beer.

Most importantly, in my opinion, any alcohol that is given away gratis should be directed to the hospitality of the owner and not used as a tool for a bartender to increase gratuities and/or social status. It's not his or her booze inventory - it's the owners. And they should be the ones to benefit.

The Agent and Associate seated themselves as was directed by the Host. About 3 minutes afterwards the Agent and Associate were greeted by the Server. The server did not provide his name nor did he ask if this was the Agent and Associate’s first time visiting the restaurant. According to the receipt, the Server’s name was listed as “xxxx xxxxxx.”

The Server asked for the Agent and Associate’s drink order. The Agent stated that the Agent was considering a specific specialty cocktail. The Server quickly said “it’s horrible!” The Agent asked why he thought so and the Server responded “look at the ingredients.”

A drink order was placed. The Server returned with the beverages shortly after. Coasters were not used for any of the beverages.

The Server returned several times to ask if the Agent and Associate were ready to place a food order. The Agent and Associate were not ready to place a food order. The Server did not attempt to suggest any specific entrées or appetizers.

The Agent and Associate placed a food order. The Agent and Associate also asked what time the kitchen would close as the Agent and Associate wished to order a dessert. The Server stated that even after the kitchen closed he could still serve dessert. He explained that the dessert that the Agent and Associate wanted was “just microwaved” and that he could do that.

The salad to one of the entrées was served about 5 minutes after that.

The Server did not provide any utensils or napkins before the salad was served. The Agent and Associate attempted to request utensils but did not see the Server for several minutes.

A few minutes later the Busser brought out the entrées and the Agent and Associate requested utensils. Entrées were brought out 13 minutes after the order was placed.

Shortly after that the Server returned with utensils.

At this time there was something found to be wrong with one of the dishes (see Food and Beverage section). The Agent and Associate informed the Busser as he was walking by the area. The Busser informed the Server and the Server returned to address the problem.

The Server later returned with the Manager and he addressed the problem as well.

The Server checked back during the meal a couple of times.

The Server asked the Agent and Associate if they still wanted to order dessert. The Agent and Associate placed a dessert order.

No coffee or after dinner drinks were offered.

Dessert was served about 4 minutes after ordering. About 5 minutes after, the server returned to check on the Agent and Associate.

The server was friendly but really lacked professionalism.

At the end of the visit the Server personally shared that he was “normally not scheduled to work and that he would rather not be here today.”

The check was requested and processed in a timely manner. The dish with the problem was comped.

Craft breweries bubbling up in the West Valley

Those thirsting for local craft beer in the West Valley have reason for cheers: The West Valley is catching up to the rest of the Valley's — and the nation's — emerging craft brewery scene.

At least five new independent breweries opened in the area recently and more are to follow. So far, owners of the breweries said business is booming.

Neal Farrell opened Peoria Artisan Brewing in downtown Litchfield Park at the end of 2013. It was the first brewery to open west of Loop 101.

"The response has been amazing," said Farrell, who now serves nearly 400 patrons at his 23-seat taproom that includes a food menu. "People love having someone local and yet will travel for new breweries. We have had people come from Apache Junction."

Jared Dubina opened his European brew pub, Dubina Brewery, in Glendale last August. Last month, he served his European-style beer to about 3,300 patrons, most of them Millennials.

Avondale native Ryan Whitten, a home brewer for 11 years, said he is spending almost all his savings — $150,000, plus some funding from an investor — to create the 8-Bit Brewery. Whitten, a 31-year-old online marketer, said his hobby "turned to a passion that turned to an obsession" that's finally panning out.

Working together

The West Valley's brewery owners don't view each other as rivals. They are friends, they said. And they often brew collaboratively, experimenting with different brew techniques and helping each other.

"The brewing community is awesome. None of us look to each other as competition," Whitten said. "We're a very tight-knit community, and our competition is domestics like Bud Light, Miller Light and Coors."

The collaboration helps them promote their craft.

"Somebody who drinks craft beer gets really intrigued by it and wants to try other people's stuff," Dubina said.

Rob Fullmer, who heads the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild, said there are 3,000 breweries across the country, with about 60 in Arizona.

He estimates its value in the state at about $60 million in direct impact and $1.2 billion in indirect impact, creating about 4,000 jobs.

"For one brewer job, it's estimated there are 45 jobs outside the brewery that supports that job," Fullmer said.

The growing interest in home brewing has run parallel with people wanting to start breweries and explore new flavors, along with the natural food movement, he said. This has spurred interest across the state.

"But I think you're seeing them on the west side because of the landscape," he said. "You have a concentration of new development out there that's probably getting into maturity and some of the entertainment areas and shopping areas are being established, just like it was 10 years ago in the East Valley."

Fullmer said a lot of excitement is being generated by these neighborhood breweries.

"It just goes back to how we're maturing as a city and we're getting away from those big developments and we're wanting to meet our neighbors and we're wanting to do things in the community," he said. "To have a place somewhere where you can walk to or bike to that's close to your house, I think a lot of people want that."

Flavor, taste testing are key

Whitten said craft beer's popularity hinge on their unique flavors. "We're on smaller systems, so we can experiment, we can put stuff in a beer that hasn't been put into beer before," he said.

"I love making beer and I love watching people drink the beer that I've made," he said. "I've been to a couple of events and watched people's faces light up, and it's great."

Whitten's brewery incorporates a beer tasting room that can accommodate 46 people, with 14-foot ceilings and equally tall windows. It isn't exactly tucked away in a neighborhood, but he said it's a great location for a production brewery such as his.

"A production brewery's location is not quite as important as it would be for a restaurant," he said. "People don't normally stumble upon them. They've already had the beer at a bar and want to go to the brewery."

As 8-Bit's opening draws near, Whitten reflected on the roller coaster journey of creating his business. It was a major decision by him and his wife to fund it almost entirely by themselves, and the couple plans to work the brewery without hiring staff for now.

They are using a homemade keg washer to clean their 68 kegs, two at a time. Practice runs have been successful. Helped on by video game music, Whitten is making the first batches of the beer and nostalgia abounded in the brew house.

Bill amended to allow craft brewers to increase beer production

Arizona's craft breweries have compromised on a bill that will allow them to produce more beer than currently allowed in the state while maintaining their restaurants and bars.

The Arizona Craft Brewers Guild is pushing for a change in state law this year that would clarify that the nearly 60 microbreweries could maintain restaurants and bars after exceeding a certain amount of production. Senate Bill 1030 was held up last month in a committee when the bill's opponents raised questions about its legality.

The Guild then compromised on an amendment, which passed its first test Monday while advancing unanimously through the Senate committee where it had been held up. The bill's sponsor is Sen. Kelli Ward, R-Lake Havasu City.

The new bill language will allow microbreweries to produce as much as 200,000 barrels of beer annually among multiple locations. The cap is 40,000 barrels today. A barrel is 31 gallons, or two full-size kegs.

"This is exactly what we asked for," said Rob Fullmer, executive director of the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild.

Breweries need to know there is a path for them to continue growing if they are to continue investing in Arizona, he said.

Under the current law, brewers who make more than 40,000 barrels of beer a year are not allowed to run restaurants. That means the bigger breweries in the state, such as Four Peaks Brewing Co., can't keep expanding without selling or closing their restaurants, or changing the law.

Supporters hope the amended SB 1030 moves through a full vote of the Senate this week.

Under a three-tier system that dates back to the end of Prohibition, a company only can be a producer, distributor, or retailer of beer in the state, and can't do business as more than one of those.

In 1987, Arizona passed special rules to allow small brewers to make and sell beer at their restaurants and bars. That allows them to act as a producer and retailer, with no distributor.

Arizona brewers making less than 40,000 barrels of beer a year get special privileges, such as being allowed to "self-distribute" beer to a second location themselves without a distributor. Current law also allows them to self-distribute 3,000 barrels of beer a year to other retailers.

Under the amended bill, a brewer would have to give up those self-distribution rights once it exceeds 40,000 barrels, except for its on-site retail sales. Brewers also could not expand to any new retail locations once exceeding 40,000 barrels.

"We don't know of any opposition at all," Fullmer said of the amended bill.

The three companies that originally opposed SB 1030 approve of the amendments, Fullmer said. Those companies were Alliance Beverage Distributing, Southern Wine and Spirits and Young's Market. Collectively, the opponents refer to themselves as the Arizona Wine and Spirits Association.

Hospitality Checkpoint is a bartender theft detection spotter service company specializing in bartender theft detection and deterrents for the hospitality industry. Hospitality Checkpoint spots for bartender theft and evaluates service staff standards. We have performed integrity reports for restaurants, bars, clubs, and resorts throughout the country. Hospitality Checkpoint is in touch with the trends and norms of the vibrant dining, bar and hospitality industry. We expect quality reports and compensate accordingly. Good writing skills are a must at Hospitality Checkpoint.

Hospitality Checkpoint Agents are very carefully selected and chosen for the unique skills necessary to evaluate at the level expected. Meticulous screening and training are the norm, and they are professionals who understand the importance of integrity and what proper customer service means to the success of a bar or restaurant. Moreover, all of our agents must possess knowledge and years of experience in restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and resorts customer service industries in order to properly evaluate for theft and service concerns.

Please take a moment to view sample reports at our Hospitality Checkpoint BARTENDER SPOTTER SERVICES website www.HospitalityCheckpoint.com and see if you have what it takes to be a Hospitality Checkpoint Bar Spotter Service Agent. These are part time contracted positions and you can apply on-line at the website hyperlink APPLY NOW . Our Bartender Theft Blog can be viewed at: BARTHEFT.com Please follow the on-line process described -- No inquiry telephone calls please.

She asked the Agent if they were ready to place their order and the Agent placed one with her.

She did not make any suggestions or mention any menu items by name.

The Agent asked her opinion about some of the menu items but she seemed to be quite picky saying that she had not tried many items since she did not like them.

The Agent’s food was delivered by Theron and Xxxxx did not check back for quite some time. The Agent informed Theron of an issue with their food which he fixed promptly. Xxxxx did not even seem to notice or say anything about the issue.

She seemed to be very overwhelmed and not to be smiling or very friendly.

She did not give the Agent any silverware and they had to flag her down to ask for some.She appeared to forget and the Agent had to flag her down and ask again.

She took a short while to come clear once the Agent was done and she did not offer refills for a very long time despite the Agent’s glass being empty.

She did not offer dessert and came to offer the Agent the bill a very long time after they were done eating and drinking.

Once the bill was served payment was processed quickly.

The Agent would like to note that they were only charged for 2 of the 3 drinks they had ordered.

Xxxxx was observed to be pouring a 5 count White Russian with a 3 count of vanilla vodka and a 2 count of Kahlua.

On one occasion the Agent overheard a patron asking Xxxxx if their drink was a double. She said she had made the drink a double and put an extra shot in the extra blended drink portion. She told the patron that their drink in fact had 3 shots in it and he seemed happy.

Xxxxx was observed to be texting on her phone behind the bar.

Xxxxx was observed to be bringing glassware to the bar and holding the glasses with her fingers in the cup.

She was observed to be doing dishes.

On one occasion she was observed to be pouring a 3 count.

Xxxxx was observed to be doing dishes.

All of the bartenders were observed to be using an ice scoop.

The Agent observed Xxxxx to be working alone behind the bar for the majority of their stay and they wonder if Xxxxx and Xxxxx were actually servers.

A receipt was not observed to be placed in front of bar patrons after each round.

The Agent did not observe any patrons being ID’d.

The Agent observed multiple patrons to be ordering drinks and taking them away from the bar.

The Agent did not observe any children consuming alcohol but it would have been very easy for a patron to buy a minor a drink and give it to them outside of the bar..

Bartender – “Xxxxxx” on receipt, female, late 20’s, slender, highlighted blond hair pulled back and up wearing a turquoise logo tank top and denim shorts.

The agent took a seat at the bar and was greeted promptly by the

bartender who placed down menus and cocktail napkins while

asking “do you know what you’re drinking”? The agent asked a few questions and placed a beverage order. She seemed personable and friendly; however, she did not introduce herself by name or ask the agents name to associate a tab within the POS.

The beverage order was prepared right away and served. She did not

immediately move to the POS. The agent also observed throughout

the evaluation that drink orders were not rang up immediately and

at times up to 15 minutes later and in a group fashion therefore the

agent is not able to tell if all patron’s drinks were accounted for.

The agents tab was itemized and correct.

She checked back several minutes later and asked if the agent was hungry at all; although, she did not make any suggestions or recommendations and left the menu on the bar the entire visit.

During the evaluation the bartender checked back often and when appropriate offered additional drinks. She seemed to be aware of drink levels for all patrons at the bar and was attentive and friendly with the regulars.

As far as drink preparation goes, she was observed using an ice scoop to fill glasses with ice, glassware used was clean, beer glasses were rotated and kept cold, wine glasses were polished and spot free and empty glasses were cleared from the bar in a timely manner.

The agent observed several mixed drinks prepared at the bar. All were at a minimum of a five count pour which is heavier than the allotted amount. The agent observed an 8 count Jack Daniels honey for the service well; however, the agent is not able to tell whether or not it was supposed to be a double. She filled the glass with a 7 count pour and topped it off with a clearer colored mixer from the soda gun and then poured another 1+ count on top.

On another couple of occasions the agent was able to observe the bartender pour a mixed drink that did not have a pour spout. The drink was prepared in a tall glass filled with ice with the amount of liquor filling the glass about two thirds of the way full. It was obviously far more than the standard 4 count measure. The agent recommends that all bottles be fitted with a pour spout and that the bar staff adhere to the standard 4 count measure outlined by the company to ensure consistent drinks and maintain cost controls.

Wine was poured in an eyeball fashion of measurement. The agent recommends using the carafe for measurement every time also for consistency and maintaining cost controls.

The agent made a few other observations such as the bartender drinking beer, making change out of the tip jar, texting on her phone, drinking from an open glass, and eating soup.

The MOD and the bartender were observed drinking draft beer from small rocks glasses behind the bar. While it appeared that this was a “sampling” it is certainly a violation of the Arizona liquor laws.

TITLE 4, CHAPTER 3

4-244. Unlawful acts

12. For a licensee, when engaged in waiting on or serving customers, to consume spirituous liquor or for a licensee or on-duty employee to be on or about the licensed premises while in an intoxicated or disorderly condition.

There were three bartenders that will be denoted as bartenders A, B, and C.Bartender A was a female Caucasian with long blonde hair wearing a low cut Xxxxxxxxx tank.Bartender B was a Caucasian male with a tall Mohawk haircut with blonde tips.He was unshaven, but did not wear a beard.Bartender C was a bulky Caucasian male with spiky blonde hair in somewhat of a faux-hawk style.

When this agent arrived in the bar, the rail was relatively full with a group of what appeared to be regular female patrons.The first impression that this agent had of this bar was Bartender C taking Bacardi 151 directly from the service pour spout into his mouth and spewing fire behind the bar as he lit the 151 he was expelling from his mouth.The violations, health infractions, and liabilities are numerous on this one initial impression.This agent will leave it to the managers and owners of Xxxxxxxxx if they want to continue with this type of activity.This agent would strongly recommend that this be discontinued immediately.

Bartender A was the first bartender to approach this agent on the bar top.She mentioned the specials for the night and mentioned that Miller Light bottles were on sale for $2.The agent opted to start the night with this.This female bartender immediately rang the drink through the POS and the screen notated the $2 charge.Change was returned immediately and there were no issues with this transaction.

At 1015pm the bar really began to fill up.Multiple groups came in through the front doors and began to gather and order from the bar.From 1015 until after 1115, this agent sat near where Bartender C was working.This was the middle well.

This agent counted 5 NO SALE deposits from drinks that were paid for in cash over this well.The bartender would approach the terminal with the money, simply hit the NO SALE key, which would flash across the POS and deposit the money directly into his drawer.This was so brazen that there wasn’t even an attempt to shadow the terminal or hide it.

Literally, the only drinks that were actually run through the POS system were those drinks where a credit card transaction was needed.Unfortunately on this night, this terminal was heavy on cash transactions and light on credit.The bottom line is that if a report were run during the middle of this shift, Bartender C’s drawer would be found way over.

In addition to this, Bartender C was also seen giving an unrung long neck over the bar with a thumbs up to a male patron, which is a violation of liquor ordinance concerning free alcohol as well as a bartender theft loss to the club.

TITLE 4, CHAPTER 3

4-242. Sale of liquor on credit prohibited; exceptions

It is unlawful for a licensee, or an employee or agent of a licensee, to sell or offer to sell, directly or indirectly, or to sanction the sale on credit of spirituous liquor, or to give, lend or advance money or anything of value for the purpose of purchasing or bartering for spirituous liquor, except that sales of spirituous liquor consumed on the licensed premises may be included on bills rendered to registered guests in hotels and motels, and spirituous liquor sales for on or off premises consumption may be made with credit cards approved by the director, and sales of spirituous liquor consumed on the premises of private clubs may be included on bills rendered to bona fide members.

Half way through this evaluation, the agent had to actually wave Bartender B down for another Miller Light Bottle.This agent had been told that the special of the night was $2 Miller Bottles by Bartender A.This agent paid with a $5 and was given $1 in change.Consequently, Bartender A was waived down and asked if the special was off at that time or had expired.She replied that it was all night.The agent noted the deficit and she immediately opened the drawer and gave the agent money from the drawer.This might sound like great customer service.However, upon closer inspection it really lends itself to the unmistakable conclusion that she knew there was plenty of extra money in that drawer and in fact things like this happen continually and it was in no way out of the norm.

To further exemplify bartender theft and integrity issues, this agent heard the price on this same bottle of beer quoted to other patrons at $2.50 and $3.00 respectively within a ten minute period.This is strong evidence of buck boosting as well.

In terms of Bartender B, NO SALE deposits were also noted happening on his terminal, which was the far end nearest the kitchen.This agent counted two of them on his drawer that were flagrant.Bartender A was the only bartender on shift for the night that was not seen making NO SALE cash deposits into her drawer.However, many of her drinks were seen coming in from cocktail servers, as she was working the terminal closest to the front door.

Showmanship appears to be something that the bartenders or the managers or both consider very important on this bar.However, they as a group are not very good at it.This agent witness long draw pours from free pour spouts where a good 1-2 count of liquor actually hit the floor.Additionally, one group of three mixed vodka drinks actually drained half a bottle with this showmanship.Bartender C was seen guzzling energy drinks one after another behind the bar in the well, and Bartender B was seen with a huge gallon of water that he was drinking from and storing near the ice well.

Midshift bar drawer audits are an absolute necessity, along with the immediate replacement of all but Bartender A, and this agent believes that she is also complicit, knowing what is going on.Thousands of dollars in combined sales and cost are being lost here.

When the agent and associate approached the bar located at the bottom of the patio bar the agent was quickly greeted by Bartender 1.The agent placed a drink order with Bartender 1 as well as ordered two shots (Please see Food and Beverage Summary for details).Bartender 1 quickly poured the beverage, garnishing the glass with his bare hands, and served the agent, then poured the two shots.

Bartender 1 asked the agent if he wanted to start a tab or pay cash and the agent closed the tab using his credit card.Bartender 1 rang the beverages into the register, swiped the card, and provided the agent with a bill with accurate charges.

Bartender 1 did not serve the associate or the agent with a beverage napkin.

Bartender 1 was noted to scoop the ice from the ice bin using his mixing tin and then guide the ice into the glassware by cupping the ice in his hand and letting it fall against his hand and into the glass.